The Outsider
by Tobichanlissesul
Summary: When Carlos arrived in Night Vale it took time for him to adjust to the strange things that when on in the town, but how much worse must things have been for his counterpart? The one who so unfortunately landed himself in Desert Bluffs...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Carlos was an outsider to Night Vale. He was a scientist, not a botanist. But life was strange, and as it just so happened, there was another outsider to a town not too far away, only he _was_ a botanist. Regis Santiago had heard rumor of a strange desert town that apparently had a bountiful orange crop. This, of course, was impossible, but his profession demanded a certain amount of field work. So, taking only a suitcase full of clothing and a few other necessities, he drove his dented old car out to the middle of the desert, into the seemingly friendly town of Desert Bluffs.

It was mid-day when he arrived and the blazing hot sun was high in the sky. There had been something strange about the sun today, Regis could have sworn it had risen twice in one morning, but he quickly dismissed the ridiculous notion, chalking it up to road fatigue. Desert Bluffs looked like a bustling slice of a Norman Rockwell painting, only, stranger, he wasn't sure how. It was really much too hot for him to be getting the chills, but something about the place raised the hair on the back of his neck.

Pulling into an unmarked parking place, he turned the ignition off and his old car rattled to rest (He hoped not for the last time.) The Botanist sat in his car for a few minutes, already feeling the hot sun baking his car. Orange groves! Here? It was ridiculous! Maybe it had been a mistake coming here after all. The Dark skinned man ran his fingers through his tightly curled black hair and drew an uncertain breath, wondering where to even start. Well, getting out of the car was as good a place as any.

Regis popped open the door of his car, and stepped out, finding that it was even hotter out here than in his idle car. He wished he had changed into a short sleeved shirt. Regardless of his desire for cooler clothing, he left the relative comfort of his car, approaching a man he saw standing, pumping gas at a nearby station.

"Excuse me!" He called, raising a hand to draw the man's attention as he neared him. "My names Santiago, I'm a Botanist, I'm here looking into the-" Regis's words died in his throat as the man turned to face him. His senses were certainly not playing tricks on him now. The man's eyes were black as obsidian, and a sharp toothed smile was pulled grotesquely across his features, and was that? Oh god, Blood!

Regis startled, pulling back a little, before self preservation kicked in and he acted in his best interest, backpedaling, and tearing away from the monster. The man bolted towards his car, hearing the monster call after him in a deceptively friendly tone. But again he found his path blocked. A little girl with the same black, soulless eyes and shark-like teeth stood right by the driver's-side door of his car. She was gently cradling a bright yellow balloon filled with a sloshing black liquid. Regis recoiled, suddenly noting that _everyone_ was just the same! The man, the girl, the shop-keeper across the street, the man selling what looked like bleeding pretzels only a few feet away on the curb, they were all monster! With his car blocked by one of these unholy demons, Regis took the only option left to him, he darted into the closest building his could find and slammed the door shut, hurling his weight against it. The man caught his breath, knees trembling, eyes wild with fear.

"What's going on?" A friendly, almost chipper voice asked him. Regis wheeled around, grabbing the shoulders of the person who had approached him and pushing him back against the wall.

"Don't go outside!" He yelled urgently, his fingernails digging crescent shaped marks in the skin of the man's forearms. "There are monsters out there!" The man looked up, a curious expression on his face, blinking obsidian black eyes.

"What do you mean monsters?" He asked, his lips parting to reveal his wickedly sharp teeth.

An extremely undignified scream escaped Regis's throat and he stumbled back away lurching for the door. As he lunged back out into the scorching sun, he could have sworn he felt the creatures hand just miss the back of his neck, his fingernails just barely brushing his skin before he escaped.

The best thing that had happened to Regis all day was that the little monster girl with her freaky, sludge-filled balloon had gone, leaving him with a clear path to his car. He dove into its safe interior, shaking hands fumbling for the key. Scientific phenomenon or not, no orange grove was worth dodging (Presumably) flesh-eating monster for.

Finally Regis got his fine motor skills under control enough that he could insert the key into the ignition, turning it desperately. The car gave a sick sounding cough before purring to life. _Thank god_. If the car had been previously described as purring, it could suddenly be described as choking. A watery burble could be heard in the engine as well as a sluggish popping, like thick mud bubbles bursting. Suddenly, some kind of acidic goo began to seep from around the key, dripping in slow, thick drops onto the floor. Regis pulled back away from it, not daring to try turning the key again.

He stared at it in abject horror. He was stuck in some kind of twilight zone, he was surrounded by monsters, and his car was squishing out some poisonous smelling goop. One thing was for certain, staying here was not an option. After a moment's thought, Regis dug into his only suit case, pulling out a pair of latex gloves he used for his work. The terrified man struggled them on and reached out, slowly, experimentally, grabbing the key. The black ooze was thick and slimy and Regis was having a difficult time trying to grip the key enough to turn it. Just when he thought he was getting it to turn, the smell of burning latex met his nostrils and he flung the gloves off as the traces of the black sludge on them continued to eat away the glove.

A knot of fear was beginning to form in his gut, feeling like a wet lump of the same thick substance that kept him from leaving this nightmare of a town. '_Maybe it will stop,' _He thought desperately, _'until then, I just need to keep my head low, and don't let them know I'm in here…' _

Regis must have crouched on the floor of his car for well over six hours, hidden between the front and the back seats, beneath a raincoat he had pulled over himself despite the stifling heat. The Botanist, unprepared for being barricaded in his car in an inescapable town, felt like he just might be dying. The heat was unbearable, and his throat felt like sandpaper from lack of water, no, sandpaper was too generous. It felt like every cavity in his body was filled with the burning, ever present sand that blew outside in the hot, dry wind. The man risked a small movement, dark spots blooming before his eyes. A soft moan escaped him as he blinked he blotches away, craning his neck to look at the key. It was still stuck in the ignition, still dripping black sludge. The sludge had formed a pool under the steering wheel that was slowly spreading under the seat. He'd have to move soon or it would start burning holes through the rubber soles of his shoes.

Regis had just started to shift, slowly, carefully up on to the back seat when a light tap on the window startled him nearly into a panic attack. Logic told him to stay still, but instinct forced him to wheel around and face the threat.

It was the one from the building, the one who had been close enough to him that he could have ripped out his throat with those horrible teeth of his. Regis could do nothing but stare. After all, he was trapped in an immovable car, weak from heat and thirst, with a raincoat still tangled around him. If this monster wanted to kill him, he wouldn't be facing much of a challenge. Rather than smash the glass, or rip off the car door, he smiled at Regis with that nightmarish mouth, gesturing for him to unlock the door and holding out what looked like a takeout box from a Denny's. Regis sat up slowly, pulling away from him as far as the interior of the car would let him. Despite his resolve to have no communication with the creature, he shook his head, gripping the arm rest of the seat in a white knuckled grip. The thing blinked its black eyes at him, looking confused, before apparently being struck by an idea. Tucking the take out box under one arm, he pulled out a note pad, scribbling a note down on it and holding it up to the window. Regis squinted, moving forward a little to see.

'Hi, my name is Kevin.

I brought you food.'

As though to emphasize his point 'Kevin' lifted the take out box and pointed to it with a smile that apparently he believed looked friendly, or encouraging. He tucked the note against the car's window and again scribbled on the note pad.

'You've been in your car for a long time, you must be pretty hungry.'

This note joined the first and before he had hardly finished writing it, another was in progress. Note after note was stuck to the window until it almost completely obscured the thing from sight. None of the note seemed the least bit threatening, in fact, they were all very friendly.

'Welcome to Desert Bluffs!'

'What's your name?'

'Are you sure you're not hungry?'

'I order a hamburger for you, I'm sorry if you don't eat meat'

'I can order something else for you if you want.'

'Do you want something else?'

'Do you like hamburgers?'

Before long the window was totally covered, yet Kevin continued to write, and stick notes onto the surface even though Regis could no longer see them. Regis was still frightened, but at the thought of food, he was feeling at least a little bit reckless. The man reached forward, and rapped lightly on the note covered window. Apparently the thing on the other side had gotten the picture and began removing the notes, cleaning off the window until he held all of them in a thick, messy stack in his hands.

Regis shuffled forward a bit, shedding the rain coat and slowly, warily unlocked the door. He cracked it a tiny bit, watching the black eyed creature for any sudden movements.

"Hello!" It (He?) said cheerfully, "My name's Kevin," He repeated, "I brought you food."

"T-Thank you…" Regis ventured hesitantly, still just barely peeking out from behind the door. Kevin extended the Styrofoam take out box and Regis stuck out his hand. Still watching cautiously, he took the take out box and drew it back into the stifling hot car with him.

"Welcome to Desert Bluffs," Kevin continued, "What's your name?"

"Regis," He replied slowly, popping open the top of the take out box, "Regis Santiago." Kevin hummed and nodded, still smiling, (Was it a smile?)

"I ordered a Hamburger for you, I'm sorry if you don't eat meat, I can always order something else for you if you want." Regis hesitated, realizing that he was just repeating everything that his notes said.

"No, He responded slowly, a hamburger is…fine…" He looked down, studying the meal he had been brought. It _looked _normal, just a regular thick hamburger with tomatoes, lettuce and pickles. Beside it was a pile of crispy beer-battered fries that looked absolutely heavenly. "If you don't mind me asking," He ventured slowly, opening the car door a little bit more. "_What are you?"_ Kevin didn't seem at all offended by the question.

"Why, I'm the local radio host!" He responded enthusiastically, clearly missing the more obvious implications of the question.

"No," Regis, said hesitantly, pulling back from him a little bit, "Your teeth they…I-I mean...You're eyes…They're…they're black…" He stammered

"Oh?" Kevin asked, sounding mildly surprised. "Are they? I hadn't noticed. You're eyes are lovely!" He said, changing tack abruptly. Regis nearly choked on the French fry he had tentatively tasted. Kevin opened the car door the rest of the way, siding casually down into the seat next to him.

"No!" Regis barked, scrambling back and holding out a hand in front of him. Kevin looked startled by the sudden rejection and stood up, nearly hitting his head off of the car roof and he backtracked out of the car. Regis found himself breathing heavily, his hand still stretched in front of him to keep the black eyed man at bay. But he didn't try and get close to him again. Regis took a deep breath, swallowing hard. At least whatever this 'Kevin' guy was, he clearly understood the meaning of 'no.'

Kevin stood there quietly for a moment, looking a little uncomfortable at having been so quickly turned down. He cleared his throat awkwardly, shuffling his feet on the dry, dust street.

"Uhmm…." He faltered hesitantly. "It's…awfully hot in there…You wouldn't want to, maybe, come into the studio with me?" Kevin offered, and instantly saw suspicious fill Regis's face. "It's air conditioned," He ventured, "We've got a cooler with cold water…"

Regis bit his lip. Besides Kevin's frightening appearance he had giving him no indication that he intended to hurt him. He wasn't sure, but Kevin's mention of his eyes might even have been a subtle pass at him. Considering that Regis wasn't even sure if Kevin was human, that felt really creepy on a bunch of different levels. The blacke eyed man with his mouthful of sharp teeth stepped back a bit, allowing Regis room to step out.

"My car…" Regis said uncertainly, testing the subject. "It won't start for me, and I can't go home until I can get it fixed…Is there a good mechanic in town?" Kevin was quick to nod his head, flashing a pointy smile at him.

"Of course, although from the looks of the mortuary ooze coming out of your ignition it will take a week to fix at least."  
"A week?" Regis asked in a kind of raspy, petrified whisper. Again, Kevin nodded cheerfully.

"That's right. I guess that means you'll be staying with us! Right here in our beautiful little town! Imagine that!" The black eyed man laughed, looking over at him. "If you need a place to stay though, Grandma Josephine is renting out some very pretty rooms. They all have a full bathroom and a lovely view of the orange groves." Regis stopped in his tracks, glancing up at Kevin hesitantly.  
"I'm sorry, did you say Orange Groves?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Kevin had been right. The rooms that Grandma Josephine was renting out werevery pretty, in that terrifying, Norman Rockwell meets the scariest movie you've ever seen kind of way. The room he had settled with had cheery, wallpaper in stripes of golden, and butter yellow. When he looked at it out of the corner of his eye, Regis could swear he could see faint triangles embossed with the letter 'S' etched into the wallpaper, but they seemed to disappear whenever he looked directly at them. The floor was somewhat the same. Made of dark wood, the knots under its glossy finish often seemed to take the shape of the triangular seal, only to vanish when studied closer.

His new landlady, Grandma Josephine was quite pleasant, and though she too had black eyes and sharp teeth, she was somehow less threatening than anyone else he'd run across so far. This was mostly due to the fact that Grandma Josephine was wrinkled up like a prune and stood only a little more than three feet high. The bent little woman was brown as a nut, and despite her shark-like features and the ever-present flecks of blood on the collar of her white blouse, she reminded him a little bit of his own grandmother.

What Regis disliked the most about living with Grandma Josephine was the demons. There were three of them and they lived right in the house alongside them. They were giant, chilling specters, two of them a hollow, dead white, and one (the special one according to Grandma Josephine) a deep terrifying black. The black demon reminded Regis a little of Kevin's soulless, obsidian black eyes.

The strangest thing of all though was the evening of his arrival, when Regis turned on the radio in his room only to hear Kevin's voice come through into his room. He was startled for a moment, wondering how that devil of a man and managed to invade even his radio, before remembering the events of the afternoon. He was about to reach over and flick off his radio when Kevin's words coming over the air caught his attention.

_"A new man came into town today dear listeners, his name is Regis. I don't know all that much about him but we shared a lunch together this afternoon and listeners…well, I don't mean to get too much into my personal life here but….I think I'm quite in love with him."_

Regis startled, reaching over and yanking the radio chord out of the wall, cutting off Kevin's report. He sat down abruptly on the edge of his bed, feeling nervous and ill all over again. What had all that been about?! He could hardly count what had happened that afternoon as 'sharing a lunch.' Kevin had lead him into the air condition studio where he had been met with a sight more horrifying than anything Regis had seen in desert bluffs so far. Blood pooled, inches deep on the studio floor, the equipment was soaked in it! Chunks of viscera and lumps of flesh and intestine had been littered everywhere, and the _teeth_! Oh god the teeth! Any hunger Regis had felt before instantly was replaced with horror and nausea. Kevin had simply gone about explain his work at the studio unaware of his guest's growing revulsion. Somewhere along the line, the Styrofoam box had slipped from Regis's frozen, numb fingers, and landed with a thick splat in the pool of blood on the floor. Kevin had stopped, mid sentence, and scooped up the box offering it back to him with a cheerful smile. Regis had haltingly decline. It was at that point that Kevin had begun picking at the meal which was now far too blood-soaked for Regis's taste. Regis supposed that this is where he must have acquired the notion that they had shared a lunch. The idea that something (Someone?) as terrifying as Kevin was showing an interest in him was the most unsettling thing Regis had ever felt.

Sleep was almost impossible. For the first three nights at least Regis tossed and turned, hardly getting more than a few minutes of sleep at a time before he would be interrupted by sinister and surreal nightmares. During the day, he tried to focus on the task he had come here to complete. Regis was a Botanist, Botany was what he did! Yet every time he tried to approach one of the strange Orange trees, he got a strange feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. It was irrational really, but every time he got close to the trees, or tried to pick off and examine one of its fruits, Regis experienced the irrational fear that if he touched that forbidden fruit, he would simply cease to exists.

On the third day, he went to the mechanics to see how his car was coming along. The sooner he could leave Desert Bluffs the better. The mechanic had the same general features of everyone else in the town except that his jaw unhinged like a snake's and he seemed to be incapable of normal speech. Regis afterwards, decided he would steer clear of the mechanic's shop until he received a call.

With nowhere to go really, Regis found himself wandering the hot, dusty streets of Desert Bluffs. Work, sleep, and getting updates on his car were all impossible, so really, walking, and trying to adjust to the town's arid climate was the only thing to do.

"Regis?" The Botanist hesitated. The chipper, cheerful tone was unmistakable. He didn't really _want _to talk to Kevin, but he turned around none the less, forcing a hesitant smile.

"Hello Kevin." He said tightly, feeling the by now familiar sensation of uneasiness curling in the pit of his stomach. No matter how terrifying something was, if you were surrounded by it day in and day out, it began to lose its effect, and seeing as how everyone in Desert Bluffs had the black eyes, sharp teeth, and ever-present splattering of blood, Regis was beginning to adjust. At Regis's response, Kevin beamed happily, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Hello! How's your very important work coming along?" He asked, looking genuinely interested.

"Slow." Regis responded, not really trying to encourage conversation. But despite that, Kevin chattered on.

"Botany sounds fascinating!" He continued, sliding into step next to him, "although the trans-dimensional orange trees can be a little hard to approach. StrexCorp is perfecting the genetic strain before we export them to other towns." Regis nodded, Kevin hesitating at his silence. The hush stretched between them for several long moments before Regis broached the subject that had been bothering him since the day of his arrival.

"Kevin…" He started reluctantly. "I uh…I heard you on the radio…the other night….you…mentioned me…" Regis said, picking his words with extreme care. Kevin nodded, his mouth pulling into a smile, revealing his frighteningly pointed teeth.

"Yes! That's right…I didn't know you listened to my show."

"Just that once." Regis replied stiffly and, out of the corner of his eye, saw Kevin look down, disappointed.

"Oh… Well…I'm on in the evenings if you _want _to listen sometime." He said softly, and, despite himself, Regis felt a twinge of guilt. But he was getting sidetracked.

"You mentioned me." He pressed again, not wanting to really outright say what he had heard.

"Oh, that," Kevin replied with a shy smile, his bronzeish skin flushing a little bit pink. "I mean, it may have been kind of forward, but what can I say? I'm a reporter. I report on the things that happen in the town, even if they bleed into my personal life." Regis was about to reply to this when Kevin continued, blurting abruptly. "Would you like to stop at the dinner for breakfast?" Regis buffered. He _was _hungry, and he _was_ beginning to get used to the kinds of food they eat here, but he still wasn't really comfortable being somewhere with Kevin.  
"Uhhh….I don't know," He murmured noncommittally, stepping back a pace, trying to retreat without offending Kevin. Rather than pursue the subject though, Kevin simply lowered his gaze and nodded.

"Of course, I understand." He said, looking back up and granting him a small smile, lips closed, not even exposing his frightening teeth. It suddenly stuck Regis that, as monstrous as Kevin seemed, he understood, and accepted, rejections better than most 'normal' people he had met. He may not be aware of all that made Regis uncomfortable, but the minute he expressed some kind of fear or discomfort, Kevin was quick to back down and give him a considerate amount of space. Kevin couldn't help what he looked like it seemed, but just maybe, a terrifying exterior didn't make him a bad person. The black eyed man had just turned to leave when Regis called after him.

"Wait a minute." He said reluctantly, mussing his hand through his thick black hair and biting the inside of his cheek hesitantly. Kevin turned, smiling pleasantly, but not like he expected anything. "Uhhh….Breakfast would be fine, a-as long as we can eat at the diner, and not go back to the studio." He said pointedly. Maybe he was giving Kevin a chance, but he_ was not_ going back into that studio.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Through most of their breakfast, Regis was fairly silent, although Kevin did plenty enough talking for the both of them. He seemed to enjoy chattering off on fairly random tangents that Regis had a difficult time following. He couldn't imagine that all of the things Kevin prattled on about where true, or even possible, but he listened politely none the less.

Kevin had just started another wild story, (something about a major publicity stunt involving an airplane dropping hundreds of tons of shredded salami over a roller skating rink,) when Regis noticed something that caught his eye. It was that seal again, the triangle with the 'S' in the center, the same one he could have sworn he had seen all over his room. Come to think of it, he had seen it all over Desert Bluffs! The entire town seemed to be branded with that symbol, and just now, he noticed it imprinted on the skin of Kevin's neck. It was traced, and colored, like a tattoo, but the skin around it was raised, a burn? Regis wasn't sure, but it was the first one he had seen that didn't seem to fade away when he looked directly at it.

"Kevin," Regis said, interrupting the radio host's flow of words. "What's that on your neck..the…the symbol…"

"Hmm? Oh!" Kevin responded looking down even though he really wasn't able to see that part of his body. "This?" He asked, loosening his tie and pulling aside the collar of his shirt a little to reveal the mark in its entirety. Regis nodded, leaning across the table to study it closer. "It's the Official StrexCorp Synernists Inc. Logo. I have others," He added, rolling up the sleeve of his blood flecked dress shirt so that his dark skinned companion could see the same mark etched onto the underside of his fore-arm. "Aaaaannnnd," Kevin pulled his knee up, pulling up the cuff of his slacks to show two more, one on his ankle and another on the inside of his calf. "There's more, there's one on my hip, another on my chest and I think…two or three on my back." He finished, but having seen Regis' previous rejection of his advances, refrained from showing him.

"I've seen it everywhere." Regis murmured thoughtfully, still trying to figure out if it was a burn or a tattoo, and if the latter, why would anyone want to tattoo a company logo on themselves?

"StrexCorp is everything." Kevin responded, as though that would answer all of his questions.

"Why do you have it tattooed on you?" He asked, taking a stab in the dark as to the nature of the mark. Kevin just blinked, looking confused.

"Didn't you hear me? StrexCorp is _everything._ They _are_ everything, they_ own _everything. StrexCorp protects us, and watches over us. StrexCorp keeps us safe." He said, laying a hand over his chest, his voice taking on a surreal quality that made Regis feel like slipping into a trace, repeating him, and believing everything he said. It took him a second to realize that he _had_ spaced out, his eyes unfocusing, his mind suddenly void of anything but that strange triangular symbol. Regis shook himself out of it abruptly, staring at the mark again.

"Everything?" He asked, and Kevin blinked uncertainly.

"What?"

"StrexCorp own everything? Even…You? Is that…a brand?" Regis asked huskily, and his lunch companion reached up, brushing a finger across the mark.

"Oh…I guess, I mean, I've had them as long as I can remember."

"Since you were little?"

"No, as long as I can remember, I don't remember being little." The tone Kevin used was so open, so matter-of-fact, that for a moment, Regis didn't even question that he didn't remember his childhood. What he did feel was a sudden flush of rage. He didn't know much about this StrexCorp, but whatever dictatorial corporation would _brand_ someone with their symbol certainly wasn't the benevolent god that Kevin had made them out to be.

"That's not right," Regis said through clenched teeth, his hands tightening into fists. Kevin looked decidedly uncomfortable, pulling away a little bit at the show of anger that was beginning to bubble to the surface.

"Its fine, Regis, calm down," he encouraged him in his most soothing tone, his gaze flitting nervously around the diner. "Just, don't say anything you might regret."  
"Regret how?" Regis snapped, "What will they do? Brand me too? I don't think so. Someone has to do something about this! They own this whole town don't they? They're the reason everything is like this!" He raged. Regis, at the present time, was quite convinced that he didn't have feelings for Kevin, but he had begun to realize that Kevin _was _a human begin. Despite how strange and terrifying he was, Regis still held firmly to his belief that no human being should be owned.

Regis took a deep breath, staring at the brand on the side of Kevin's neck, the sight of it doing nothing to cool his anger.

"Regis," Kevin whispered in a guarded tone, "Please. Stop. You'll only stir up trouble for yourself and I _don't _want to see you hurt." Regis looked up, meeting his coal black gaze. Despite his unsettling features, Kevin looked genuinely scared. A sheen of sweat had broken out on his forehead, and his fingers drummed nervously on the table top between them.

"You're scared of them." There was a tone of sympathy in his voice which Kevin recoiled at, gripping the edge of the table so tightly that his unusually sharp nails scraped into the varnish.

"Regis please!" He begged desperately, "Please stop, please just don't say another word! StrexCrop takes care of us and keeps us safe! StrexCorp provides for our town and brings opportunities for small business owners, StrexCo-"

The dark-skinned botanist stood up, the table rattling loudly as he did.

"No, Kevin listen! THIS ISN'T RIGHT! YOU DON'T HAVE TO DEFEND THEM! THEY'VE HURT YOU, THEY'VE HURT THIS TOWN!" He shouted, Kevin pressing his hands to his ears, looking terrified as he continued to talk over him, listing everything StrexCorp had done for Desert Bluffs and it's citizens. Regis knew he shouldn't shout, it was clearly upsetting the radio host, but he couldn't seem to stop. It was just _so wrong!_ Everything about this corporation and what they had done to this town was _wrong_, and he wasn't going to let it keep happening. Regis couldn't hear himself speaking over Kevin who was still plugging his ears and rambling out praises of the malicious corporation that seemed to have dominated the town.

He had been so absorbed in trying to get Kevin to stop and see things clearly, that he hadn't even notice that the doors to the diner had been pushed open, admitting two men in sharp black suits and bright yellow ties. Regis didn't even know that they were there until he was grabbed roughly by the elbow and yanked from the booth, one of the agents on either side of him, his arms pulled painfully behind his back. Kevin startled at the two black-suited agents appearance, a look of nauseous horror washing over his features.

"NO!" He barked, scrambling out of the booth. The man on Regis's right turned abruptly, pulling a sleek black gun and leveling it at Kevin's head. The radio host pulled up short, swallowing hard and holding up his hands. "S-StrexCorp is…Good…StrexCorp provides equal opportunity employment and grants us generous health benefits." He stammered quietly, the man slowly pulled back a little. He gestured with the gun and Kevin slid slowly back into the booth, mechanically murmuring StrexCorp's praises.

Regis watched in horror, at the moment, more worried for Kevin than he was for himself. His gut twisted with a sickened disbelief as he saw just how deeply this corporation's control ran. It wasn't until he felt himself being suddenly jerked backwards that he remembered that Kevin, and the other citizens were not the only ones in danger here. Whoever these agents were, they had come for _him_, and now, they were leave with him.

Regis snapped back to reality, struggling against the agents as the two of them manhandled him, dragging him backwards against his will towards the doors that lead into the streets. Regis tried to yank one arm free, succeeding for a few brief seconds before it was seized again and yanked even farther back behind him. The botanist was unable to stifled the cry of pain that escaped him.

"Kevin!" He said through gritted teeth, knowing he had the other man's attention. Kevin was staring at him over the back of the booth, not moving. The strangest thing was, he almost looked like he was crying, like it actually hurt him to see them taking him away and being unable to help him. "Kevin you have to listen! You have to fight them! Tell-" He started, but was abruptly cut of as the suited man to his left struck him across the head with his gun, and the two of them proceeded to drag his limp body out of the restaurant.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

How long had it been? Regis had no idea. He wasn't even sure what _it _was. He had woken up in a plain white room with the strange sensation that he had been asleep for a very long time, but he wasn't sure exactly what had happened before he had lost consciousness. The dark skinned botanist had only really been awake for five minute when a door, previously invisible, had slid back and he had been joined by a man in a black suit with a yellow tie.

"Name?" The man asked simply, his tone implying that he was very board of his job.

"R-Regis…" He stammered, "Regis Santiago."

"Occupation." The man droned, picking at a spot of dried blood on his sleeve.

"I'm a Botanist…I study plants."

"What is StrexCorp?" The question took Regis off guard. He blinked, surprised. He felt like he had very strong feeling about that subject, but nothing substantial was coming to mind, so he answered in the only way he knew how.

"StrexCorp is…Everything…" He said tightly, feeling a weird sense of anger in the pit of his stomach, but he didn't remember why.

"Very good, follow me." The agent grumbled, staring him down with his obsidian black eyes until Regis struggled to his feet and followed him out the door. The hallways that the black-suited agent led him through were surprisingly bright and cheery, painted in a sunny yellow with a cushy beige carpet. Eventually, the hallways gave way to a wide open room with a massive glass front. Doors, windows, all of it, clear glass that admitted the scorching rays of the sun into the spacious front room. Everyone in the room was dressed in the same back suites and yellow ties as they moved about busily, toting stacks of paper, and make phone calls into strange bleeding earpieces that emitted a piercing keen that at times almost sounded like words.

Before he could take in any more of what he assumed was the hub of StrexCorp inc. Regis found himself being hurried out into the street and abandoned at a bus stop with a handful of coins and a note that simply read:

_'We hope you reeducation process was as soul-rending and agonizing as everyone of your screaming loved ones have ever warned you it would be.'_

Regis stared down at the card, blinking in confusion. He certainly didn't remember anything of the sort, accept of a vague tug in the pit of his stomach that told him that StrexCorp, for as helpful, merciful and generous as they were, was a thing to be feared and respected.

As the Botanist took the bus back into the center of Desert Bluffs, there was really only one person he wanted to see, and he still wasn't really sure why. None the less, when he left the bus, it wasn't a few blocks down from Grandma Josephine's, but right in front of the DBCR station. Regis stood there, staring up at the studio, his hands hanging limply by his sides. The sun was hot on the back of his neck, but he was hesitant to enter the studio, even though for some reason, it felt less frightening now. Regis _felt _different, at least to an extent. He remembered everything just as he had before, his home, his life, his arrival in Dessert Bluffs, but despite that, something wasn't the same. _He _wasn't the same, not any more.

Regis had just stepped forward to take hold of the door knob when it turned under his light grip. The man pulled back, blinking in surprise as the door opened, and he suddenly found himself face to face with the black-eyed radio host.

"Regis!" Kevin said looking surprised as he stepped out onto the street.

"Kevin…Hi…" Regis said uncertainly, dropping his gaze and reaching up to rub awkwardly at the back of his neck. "I uh…I came to…to…" Regis found himself stammering, staring down at his shoes.

"Do you want to come in and sit down?" Kevin asked his voice surprisingly gentle. "You look a little sick." Regis nodded wordlessly in response and let Kevin lead him into the studio, going into one of the intern break rooms, which was slightly less terrifying than the studio. Kevin pulled up a chair across from the dark-skinned Botanist, leaning forward with a look of concern on his face. "Do you…feel alright?" He ventured carefully. Regis nodded hesitantly.

"I-I feel okay…A little weird, a little different…"  
"Do you remember what happened last week? At the diner?"

"Diner?" Regis repeated, feeling dumb. A look of realization crossed Kevin's face; his bronzy completion going a little pale as he quickly changed tack.

"Never mind, forget I mentioned it, please. Have you looked in the mirror recently?" He asked, changing the subject abruptly.  
"No…" Regis responded, wondering what could be so different about him. Kevin held up a finger and left him alone in the room, which Regis was strangely okay with despite the gaping black hole that devoured all light in the center of the floor and the creaking and scratching behind the chipped paint of the walls. Kevin returned just as Regis had been about to stand up and examine some shadowy black figure that was moving behind the curtain over the blacked out window.

"Here," Kevin said, a hand mirror extended towards him. Regis didn't really even recognize the man in the mirror at first. Was that really him? It _looked _close enough, same dark skin and same tight curly black hair, same strong jaw line and angular cheekbones. But his eyes….His eyes were as dark as Kevin's, unfathomably deep and black as obsidian. The Botanist's lips parted in surprise and he could see just the tips of his now sharp, shark-like teeth, and he most horrifying part of all of this was that it _didn't scare him at all…_Regis felt like it should have. A week ago, the sight of those black eyes and sharp teeth staring back from his own reflection should have made him nauseous with horror, but now, it seemed almost…right…

"It's a shame…" Kevin murmured distractedly, looking down. "Your eyes were _so _beautiful before…" Regis turned uncertainly, looking back at him, his tongue flicker nervously between his lips.

"Are they…okay now?" Kevin looked up quickly, looking hesitant for a moment, trying to decide how he wanted to take Regis's question. A smile touched the radio host's lips before he responded with quiet sincerity

"They're just fine."

It took Regis a long time to build up a solid friendship with Kevin, and even longer to begin to think that just maybe, he felt something more for him. But gradually, his black eyes and sharp teeth ceased to be the _only _thing he noticed about him. He began to notice how beautiful his bronze skin was, like warm sun on baked earth, like the sand that swirled across the cracked pavement of Main Street on a windy day. Regis, day by day, began to appreciate how soothing and encouraging Kevin's voice sounded when it drifted over the static air of the radio waves, and how it sounded so much better face to face when they met for lunches at the corner-street dinner. And very, very slowly, Regis found that the things that had once frightened him so much about Kevin were becoming the things that he was falling in love with him for.


End file.
